76 EUROPE FROM 911 TO 1198

the Tusculan candidate for the Papacy, Benedict VIII,
prevailed over his Crescentian rival, Gregory, and the latter
appealed in person to Henry II for help, Henry, however,
was determined to maintain his friendship with the Tusculan
house, and he came to Italy at the end of 1013 to uphold
Benedict VIII. His appearance produced order and sub-
mission in North Italy once more, and he was even received
Imperial with enthusiasm at Rome, where on 14 February 1014 he and
Q014? lon his wife Kunigunda were crowned Emperor and Empress by
the Pope. Yet almost at once the accustomed tumult broke
out in Rome against the Germans, and Henry had to retire
north again. He stayed for a time in Tuscany, and appointed
as its marquis Rainier, who was already marquis of Spoleto
and thus held the centre of Italy firmly for Henry II, as
marquis Hugh had done for Otto III. Then, after a month
in Pavia spent in administrative measures designed to make
his authority more directly effective, he returned to Germany.
At once Ardoin and his confederates were in arms, and
disorder was again rife throughout Lombardy. This time the
German party was eventually successful and Ardoin withdrew
to a monastery; with his death in the following year (1015)
the nationalist party in North Italy lost their only effective
leader, and the bishops recovered their former predominance.
Relations At his imperial coronation Henry had promised to defend
with the t^ jjoman Church and to adhere to the Pope and his
Henry's successors. This pledge had been formally given by his pre-
third Italian dccessors, but he adhered to it in spirit also, and left the
expedition papacy untrammelled by his dictation. Benedict VIII was
an effective Pope, though his interests were more martial
than spiritual. He succeeded in crushing the Crescentii,
made headway against Moslem raids, and was largely respon-
sible for the attack by Pisa and Genoa on the Moslems' recent
conquest, Sardinia; these two cities, already naval powers,
won a great sea-victory and a foothold in Sardinia in 1016.
Benedict had also formed a league with the Lombards in the
South and their Norman associates against the Byzantine
power. To further this ambitious project, Benedict with his
chief confederates went in person to Germany to win the
assistance of the Emperor. It was a diplomatic act for, as
the first Pope to visit Germany since the ninth century, his
presence made a great stir. Pope and Emperor met at